20 Skull Pumpkin Templates

We curated 20 of the very best skull pumpkin templates so you can pick one and start carving in minutes.

1. Grim Reaper Pumpkin Stencil
A flowing Grim Reaper figure grips a long scythe at chest height, its hooded skull face glowing with hollow eye sockets as the ragged robe billows outward below. The curved scythe blade arcs dramatically across the top of the composition. Lit from within, the open robe hem, skeletal hands, and skull interior create a layered halo of light around the solid hood shape. Carve the large open robe sections last so the scythe blade, the most slender element, stays braced by the surrounding pumpkin wall while you work.
See template →
2. Sugar Skull with Roses Pumpkin Stencil
A sugar skull face with flower-ringed eye sockets, a crown of jagged flames, a heart-shaped nose, and rectangular teeth is surrounded by six individually carved roses in this expert pumpkin stencil. Every petal cluster, leaf, and decorative element is a separate pierce-through, creating an intricate Day of the Dead tableau. The carved pumpkin glows through dozens of individual openings simultaneously. Work from the center outward: finish all skull face details before the outer roses, so you can brace the pumpkin face-side-down when carving the perimeter flower clusters.
See template →
3. Skull Crown Ghost Pumpkin Stencil
A round skull face wearing a crumbling castle battlement crown tops this ghost pumpkin stencil. Large angry eyes with flame-shaped pupils, a small cracked nose bridge, and a row of jagged teeth fill the circular face, all pierced as cut-throughs while the surrounding ring frame and crown teeth remain as solid pumpkin. The lit jack-o-lantern glows through the eyes and mouth in a fierce scowl. Carve the crown battlements first before cutting the circle frame below, so the narrow wall sections holding the crown have full support while you work.
See template →
4. Skeletal Ghost Pumpkin Stencil
A skeletal ghost figure with a domed, skull-like head, jagged mouth slits, and broad swept wings dominates this pumpkin stencil. The design carves as widely spaced curved pierce-through sections that fan across both sides, leaving bold orange bridges to define the creature's torso and face. Lit from inside, the jack-o-lantern reads as a dark specter bursting outward. Cut the inner face details first before tackling the large wing panels so shifting your grip doesn't crack the delicate center column.
See template →
5. Horned Demon Skull Pumpkin Stencil
A demonic horned skull with massive curved ram-like horns and a symmetrical face composed of dozens of interlocking cut fragments makes this one of the most intricate skull pumpkin stencils available. The forehead, cheeks, and jaw are all broken into shaped segments separated by thin pumpkin bridges, and the horns are densely cross-hatched with ridged cuts. Work from the center outward, cutting the tiniest interior fragments first before opening any large jaw or eye-socket voids, to avoid collapsing the many delicate bridges that hold the design together.
See template →
6. Skull Face Pumpkin Stencil
Two large angular eyes with curling inner-corner details and cocked brows form the upper half of this skull pumpkin stencil, with a small paired nasal cavity below and a wide clenched-teeth mouth at the bottom, all cuts floating separately on an otherwise solid pumpkin face. When lit, the glowing eyes and jagged teeth give the jack-o-lantern an intensely menacing expression. Cut the thin curling details inside each eye first, while the pumpkin is still rigid, then open the eye sockets, nasal holes, and wide tooth row in that order to keep the face from flexing during fine work.
See template →
7. Pirate Skull Pumpkin Stencil
A grinning pirate skull wearing a broad tricorn hat dominates this expert-level pumpkin stencil, with a second miniature skull-and-crossbones badge emblazoned on the hat brim. Dense cutwork in the teeth row, eye sockets, and hat badge creates many small isolated pieces held together by narrow bridges of pumpkin flesh. Begin with the tiny crossbone details on the hat badge while your hands are freshest, then move to the eye sockets and finally the toothed lower jaw.
See template →
8. Jack Skellington Pumpkin Stencil
Two tall oval eye holes and a long horizontal stitched mouth with cross-bar teeth form the three pieces of this minimalist Skellington-style pumpkin stencil, recognizable for its sparse, elongated proportions. The eyes are simple solid ovals and the mouth is a single wide slot with evenly spaced vertical tines. Because all three cutouts are surrounded by smooth uncut pumpkin, placement matters: center the stencil higher on the pumpkin face than you think you need to, so the long mouth lands in the rounder mid-section where the wall is thickest and the tine cuts are less likely to blow out.
See template →
9. Skull Pumpkin Stencil
Two wide almond-shaped eye sockets with small fang-like lower details, a paired nasal cavity of two thin vertical slots, and a broad rectangular mouth with chunky upper and lower teeth make up this straightforward skull pumpkin stencil. The five main shapes are spread across the face with generous pumpkin skin between them, making this a stable carve. Cut the narrow nasal slots first since they are easiest to lose track of; follow with the eye sockets, and save the wide mouth for last so the pumpkin face remains solid while you finish the upper details.
See template →
10. Spooky Text Pumpkin Stencil
The word "Spooky" is carved in bold bubbly lettering with each letter outlined as a cut-through shape on this Halloween pumpkin stencil. The two O's feature skull-like eye holes inside them, and drip lines hang from the letters below. Curling ribbon flourishes arc above and below the text, all pierced through. Lit from inside, the letters glow with dark gaps forming the decorative interior details. Take care to preserve the thin drip connections between letters, as those links keep each letter floating in place on the pumpkin wall.
See template →
11. Pirate Skull with Parrot Pumpkin Stencil
A weathered pirate skull in a battered tricorn hat stares out from this expert pumpkin stencil, a parrot perched on the skull's head and tattered coat lapels framing its hollow cheeks. The skull-and-crossbones badge on the hat, individual finger bones along the bottom, and ragged coat edges create dozens of intricate cut sections. Carve the small hat badge first, then the interior face hollows, before moving outward to the flowing coat edges where the thinnest bridges live.
See template →
12. Skull and Crossbones Pumpkin Stencil
A cartoonish skull-and-crossbones fills this pumpkin stencil: a round skull with raised eyebrow lines, two large circular eye sockets, and a lower jaw bearing six stitched teeth sits at the center, while four bone ends with rounded knobs extend diagonally from behind it. The eye sockets, teeth gaps, and bone end circles are all pierced through, creating rings of glowing light that contrast with the solid skin bridges holding the design together. Carve the six small tooth gaps before tackling the larger eye socket circles to preserve the jaw structure.
See template →
13. Jolly Roger Pumpkin Stencil
A classic Jolly Roger design fills this pumpkin stencil: a grinning skull topped by a pirate hat bearing a tiny skull-and-crossbones badge sits above two crossed cutlass swords with curled hand-guards. The eye sockets, the hat badge, the small triangular nose cavity, and the gaps between the sword blades are all pierced through. Cut the miniature hat badge first since it is the most delicate isolated element, then the eye sockets and sword gaps, before finishing with the outer hat and blade silhouette.
See template →
14. Grim Reaper Pumpkin Stencil
A shrouded Grim Reaper grips a scythe overhead in this expert-level pumpkin stencil, packed with dozens of jagged, flowing cut sections that render tattered robes, bony fingers, a skull face peering from the hood, and a second smaller skull on the chest. The design reads as a dense web of orange skin bridges surrounding numerous glowing cutouts. Tackle the smallest interior cuts around the skull face first so you have full stencil support, then work outward through the robe details toward the large robes and scythe blade.
See template →
15. Mouse Skull Pumpkin Stencil
Two large round ear-shaped circles top a grinning skull face in this hard skull pumpkin stencil, the whole design dripping with melting-wax details that hang from the ears and chin. The skull's hollow round eyes and triangular nose are cut through, while the jagged smiling mouth and drip channels below the face create a pattern of narrow glowing slits. Lit inside a jack-o-lantern, the ears glow as two bright round openings above a menacing skull expression. Carve the two large ear circles first since they are structurally independent, then work down through the drips before tackling the fine interior face cuts.
See template →
16. Sugar Skull Sombrero Pumpkin Stencil
A calavera skull wearing a wide sombrero fills this expert pumpkin stencil: the sombrero brim is ringed with rows of small scallop-cut holes and vertical stripe slots, the crown shows banded tiers, and the skull below has large flower-shaped eye sockets, a heart-shaped nose, a grinning mouth, and curling moustache scrolls on each side. Every decorative element is cut away so candlelight floods through the scallops, stripes, and flower eyes simultaneously, creating an elaborate Day of the Dead glow. Start with the tiny scallop holes along the sombrero brim before any other cut, since those are easiest to control while the surrounding skin is still rigid.
See template →
17. Sugar Skull Pumpkin Stencil
This sugar-skull pumpkin stencil features a circular skull face filled with symmetrical Dia de los Muertos ornamentation: two large almond-shaped eye sockets, a central floral cross motif above them, scrollwork tendrils curling outward on both cheeks, and a rectangular tooth-grid at the chin. The design carves as a mix of open negative spaces and solid orange bridges that define each decorative element. Cut the cheek scrollwork before removing the large eye sockets, since the thin curling lines are easier to control while the surrounding wall is still solid.
See template →
18. Mean Skull Pumpkin Stencil
Two large angled triangular eyes slash across the upper face of this jack-o-lantern stencil, pointing sharply inward to give the skull an aggressive, furrowed scowl. Below, two narrow rectangular fang-tips drop from the center, and a wide jagged mouth with three upward-pointing teeth stretches across the bottom. All six shapes are cut through individually, leaving solid orange between them to hold the face together. The small central fang-tips are easy to snap, so cut each one from the outer corner inward and avoid side pressure on the blade.
See template →
19. Flaming Skull Pumpkin Stencil
A skull in three-quarter profile sits at the center of this hard pumpkin stencil, ringed by a crown of wild flame tongues that curl and taper at their tips. The skull's round cranium, hollow eye socket, nasal cavity, and separated teeth are all open cut-outs, while the solid skin between them forms the facial structure; the flames surrounding it are a mix of pierced channels and solid skin bridges. Carve the skull's eye socket and nose first, then work the teeth individually before tackling the outer flame tongues, which have thin tapered ends that tear if the blade stalls.
See template →
20. Skeleton Guitarist Pumpkin Stencil
A Day of the Dead skeleton musician stands full-body on this expert pumpkin stencil, wearing a wide-brimmed sombrero and playing a guitar: the skull face shows simple round eyes and a stitched nose, the ribcage is rendered as horizontal bone-slat cut-outs on the torso, the guitar strings are five parallel pierced lines, and the bony legs end in boots. The five guitar strings are the most fragile element, each a thin channel of open space; carve them last with a very sharp narrow blade in single straight strokes, and support the surrounding pumpkin skin with one finger while cutting.
See template →